The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:      Associate
Legal Officer

Organisation: United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Position No.: UNOPS/003/19/1

Vacancy Notice: UNOPS – 003/2019

Duty Station: 
Kampala, Uganda

About UNHCR:

The Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14,
1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR’s mandate under the Statute
of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead
and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent
solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and
well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness,
as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the
Reduction of Statelessness.

Job Summary:  The Associate Legal Officer will be
responsible for ensuring that all statelessness issues in the country are
analyzed, monitored, and effective responses and strategies are developed. The
area of engagement will include Identification, Prevention, and Reduction of
statelessness and if needed protection of stateless persons. The incumbent will
be expected to work with the relevant Government entities, partners, UN
agencies, community members, and civil society organizations to;

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Identify and map stateless persons/situations/actors including;
  Assessment of the scale of the problem through research and participatory
  assessment. Understand the profile of the population affected (demographic
  composition, including data disaggregated by sex and age); Determine
  causes and obstacles to solutions to statelessness (gaps in legislation,
  administrative practice, etc.) identify any protection issues faced; and
  potential stakeholders.
• Undertake advocacy for prevention of statelessness including;
  activities for promoting accession to 1961 Convention on the Reduction of
  Statelessness; Advocacy for improved birth registration and documentation;
  Advocacy to bridge gaps in policy and nationality legislation; Building
  capacity and awareness of State actors and partners (parliamentarians,
  line ministries and civil society) on the question of statelessness.
• Provision of technical advice on solutions including; Working with
  partners to set out Community Outreach and Information campaigns;
  Provision of legal counselling to individuals; Advocate for changes to law
  and policy to allow for inclusion of stateless/ at risk population;
  Advocate for facilitated naturalization and durable solutions for
  stateless refugees.
• Protection activities including; Ensuring enjoyment of basic human
  rights by stateless persons; provide technical advice for
  establishing/improving status determination procedures for stateless
  persons; Advocate for adequate legislation and good administrative
  practices to ensure rights of stateless persons;  Advocate for integration of stateless
  persons/formerly stateless persons into development programmes; Promote
  the IBelong Campaign to create awareness on statelessness
• Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural
  developments that have an impact on the protection environment, in
  particular, on the issue of statelessness.
• Serve as the focal point for thematic issues of law and policy
  relating to statelessness and provides technical advice and policy support
  on these issues to the Representation.
• Collect, monitor, and analyse information, statistics, and
  developments related to statelessness in the country, and initiate and
  carry out activities to identify how many stateless persons reside in
  Uganda.
• Analyse regular and ad hoc reporting, and provide support to the
  Representation to react to and initiate actions to revise citizenship laws
  to prevent and reduce statelessness in line with relevant international
  standards.
• Obtain regular statistical updates on the official number and
  profile of persons of concern under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate in
  Uganda and, particularly, the accurate reporting of statistics on the
  reduction of statelessness.
• Continue advocacy with the relevant actors in relation to further
  legislative reform in respect of statelessness.
• Provide expert input on the identification of nationality and
  statelessness within repatriated persons.
• Engage with offices in the country and work units in the country,
  region and at Headquarters to devise strategies to identify, prevent and
  reduce statelessness and protect stateless persons.
• Identify potential partners outside UNHCR, including for operational
  responses, training and fundraising, and, in consultation with the
  supervisors, initiate and maintain contact with them.

Key Result Areas:

• Timely and pertinent technical support on statelessness and policy
  advice is provided to the Representation.
• Representation is regularly kept informed of developments and trends
  on statelessness in Uganda.
• Technical assistance is provided in the development of strategies at
  the national level on statelessness.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNHCR Associate Legal
  Officer job placement should hold a University Degree in Law,
  International Law, political Sciences or related field
• At least five years of relevant job experience is required.
• Experience in working closely with and coordinating a number of
  stakeholders at a high level including Government, UN Agencies and civil
  society.
• Professionalism and sound knowledge and interpretation of
  international law and international human rights law, with particular
  reference to statelessness and nationality
• Experience in protection/human rights monitoring and in providing
  protection information.
• Political sensitiveness and ability to operate in complex political
  situations.
• Gender, age and diversity perspective, to ensure adequate attention
  to women participation and attention to other concerns of persons with
  specific needs (children elderly etc.)
• Excellent drafting and communication skills
• Excellent knowledge of English.

Competencies

• Knowledge of  Uganda’s Law and
  Policy  regarding Immigration and
  citizenship
• Knowledge on International Humanitarian Law
• Ability to provide leadership
• Proficiency in communication skills
• Ability to assess the political environment affecting trends
• Ability to provide performance feedback
• Ability to create consensus among stakeholders
• Provide legal analysis of the law and practice on citizenship
• Experience in provision/advise of Legal aid and legal assistance to
  populations of concern to UNHCR and, in particular, managing legal
  assistance projects.

How to Apply:

All interested
Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to click on the
link below and follow the application instructions after reviewing the job
details.

Click
Here

Deadline: 20^th June 2019

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